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Australia’s ‘Tree of Life’: a bird’s eye view

5 min read

Inspiring People
Australia’s ‘Tree of Life’: a bird’s eye view
Source: Facebook/Derry-Moroney-Photography

An amateur photographer on the North Coast of New South Wales has captured a series of mesmerising aerial photographs of a natural phenomena at Lake Cakora, Brooms Head.

Tree of life appears as lake drains into the sea

An aerial photograph of Lake Cakora has been shared more than 2,000 times on social media. Amateur photographer Derry Moroney has been taking regular photographs of the lake’s changing shapes for six months. Lake Cakora is intermittently open to the ocean at Brooms Head on the NSW North Coast. Moroney’s recent aerial image has had a huge reaction on social media, with more than 2,200 people sharing the image and over 230 comments. Mr Moroney said he was so amazed by the "spectacular" patterns that emerged that he made a habit of returning to the site each fortnight to photograph its transient forms.

‘It’s sort of like a tree of life,’ he says.
The first image Derry Moroney took of Lake Cakora, in July 2020. ‘It’s sort of like a tree of life,’ he says. Source: Facebook/Derry-Moroney-Photography
Amateur photographer Derry Moroney has been taking regular photographs of the lake's changing shapes for six months.
An aerial photograph of Lake Cakora has been shared more than 2,000 times on social media. Amateur photographer Derry Moroney has been taking regular photographs of the lake’s changing shapes for six months. Source: Facebook/Derry-Moroney-Photography
Lake Cakora is intermittently open to the ocean at Brooms Head on the NSW North Coast.
The changing colour of the water makes every photograph different. Lake Cakora is intermittently open to the ocean at Brooms Head on the NSW North Coast. Source: Facebook/Derry-Moroney-Photography
Derry Moroney's recent aerial image has had a huge reaction on social media, with more than 2,200 people sharing the image and over 230 comments.
The lake’s mood reflects the time of day the photograph is taken. This shot was taken in January 2021 Derry Moroney’s recent aerial image has had a huge reaction on social media, with more than 2,200 people sharing the image and over 230 comments. Source: Facebook/Derry-Moroney-Photography
Mr Moroney said he was so amazed by the
Mr Moroney said the lake was turquoise when he first starting taking the photographs. Mr Moroney said he was so amazed by the “spectacular” patterns that emerged that he made a habit of returning to the site each fortnight to photograph its transient forms. Source: Facebook/Derry-Moroney-Photography
Rain reshapes landscape. Mr Moroney said he began taking aerial photographs of the lake about six months ago after a big rain event.
The lake when almost empty. Rain reshapes landscape. Mr Moroney said he began taking aerial photographs of the lake about six months ago after a big rain event. Source: Facebook/Derry-Moroney-Photography
After filming from a 119m altitude, the images displayed a ‘Tree of Life’ and created a natural spectacle with more than 2200 people sharing Mr Moroney’s images on social media.
Lake Cakora at Brooms Head in the Yuraygir national park on the NSW north coast. After filming from a 119m altitude, the images displayed a ‘Tree of Life’ and created a natural spectacle with more than 2200 people sharing Mr Moroney’s images on social media. Source: Facebook/Derry-Moroney-Photography
Lake Cakora drains into the sea at Brooms Head. Source: Facebook/Derry-Moroney-Photography
“The water is soaked by tea tree oils, hence the brown colour, and the extra water flowing out of the lake has created this stunning natural masterpiece,
His first tree of life image was taken after several days of consecutive storms in the Clarence Valley. “The water is soaked by tea tree oils, hence the brown colour, and the extra water flowing out of the lake has created this stunning natural masterpiece,” he wrote. Source: Facebook/Derry-Moroney-Photography
This in turn creates the contrast in the drainage channels that make the arboreal masterpieces.
The tea trees and flora that surround Lake Cakora, inland from Brooms Head, colour the run-off water. This in turn creates the contrast in the drainage channels that make the arboreal masterpieces. Source: Facebook/Derry-Moroney-Photography
The lake sits in the heart of Yuraygir national park on the NSW mid-north coast
Lake Cakora at sunset. The lake sits in the heart of Yuraygir national park on the NSW mid-north coast Source: Facebook/Derry-Moroney-Photography
“I was in complete awe at what mother nature had created and that so many people didn’t get to see it,” he told the Daily Mail. “The picture was taken at 119m altitude so it would be impossible for anyone not in a plane to see it.
Water rushes under a bridge and out to sea. “I was in complete awe at what mother nature had created and that so many people didn’t get to see it,” he told the Daily Mail. “The picture was taken at 119m altitude so it would be impossible for anyone not in a plane to see it. Source: Facebook/Derry-Moroney-Photography
Today (Sunday 10 January) I went for another trip to my favourite spot that is lake Cakora and what a total change it has made again, now it has the feel of a golden fire tree with heat waves all around it. Instead of trying to make a big panorama like I normally do i decided to try a portrait look and I must say it does look good in portrait.
The re-re-revistied (now golden) Tree of life: Today (Sunday 10 January) I went for another trip to my favourite spot that is lake Cakora and what a total change it has made again, now it has the feel of a golden fire tree with heat waves all around it. Instead of trying to make a big panorama like I normally do i decided to try a portrait look and I must say it does look good in portrait. Source: Facebook/Derry-Moroney-Photography
Australian lake's spectacular ‘tree of life’ discovered by drone - BBC News Amateur photographer Derry Moroney stumbled across massive patterns in Lake Cakora, on Australia's New South Wales north coast, while taking aerial photographs with his drone. Derry spoke to BBC News about the changing shapes and colours of the ‘trees’ and what he believes caused them to form. Source: Facebook/BBC

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